Should the testing sites for Taiwan’s annual high school entrance exam be air-conditioned? It’s a question that has divided education officials, especially in southern Taiwan where temperatures regularly hit 30C around this time of year.
For years, middle school students in southern Taiwan have gotten through their high school entrance exams with the help of air conditioning. But this year, they may have to find other ways of coping with the heat. With the exams now just over a week away, some educators are worrying that air conditioning could spread COVID-19.
In Chiayi City, officials say that air conditioning could heighten the risk of a cluster infection, especially in an enclosed space like an exam hall.
Further to the south in Tainan, where the mercury recently hit 36C, officials have come up with compromise, if not a very eco-friendly one. Schools there are turning on their air conditioning but leaving their windows open too.
The education bureau in Tainan allows each school to decide whether the test sites will be air-conditioned or not, as long as there are steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in place. An official suggests opening some windows to ensure air circulation.